Facebook Launches Bulk App Removal Tool amid Data Sharing Scandal

In another major privacy change in the wake of Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal, Facebook has introduced a new tool which allows you to remove third-party apps and the posts published by those apps on your behalf in bulk.

The change was first reported by The Next Web’s Matt Navarra and the social media giant today confirmed it to TechCrunch.

Previously, you had to access and remove your data on an app-by-app basis which was a cumbersome and time-consuming process.

But after the change, you can click on as many third-party apps you want in the App portion in Settings and remove them in bulk.

The move comes a less than a week after the company temporarily paused its app review process to “implement new changes”.

The company has also said that it will now automatically remove the apps that haven’t been accessed by the users from over three months.

“We already show people what apps their accounts are connected to and control what data they’ve permitted those apps to use. In the coming month, we’re going to make these choices more prominent and easier to manage,” Facebook said in its Developer News blog last week.

You can now click on as many third-party apps you want in the App portion in Settings and remove them in bulk

The changes are part of Facebook’s efforts to restore the trust of users after it received a widespread public backlash over allowing political-advertising Cambridge Analytica to collect data of its about 50 million users without their permission during U.S presidential election in 2016.

The London-based firm, which worked with President Donald Trump’s campaign, had reportedly obtained the user information through a survey app and used it to influence voters in the election.